Kamber's Time
by Lorelai Sofia Petrova
Summary: Instead of America Singer being picked for the selection, it was Aspen's younger sister Kamber Leger who was entered. Follow her as she falls in love, makes friends and rivals, all in the midst of the selection and rebellion.
1. Chapter 1

I know that Kamber isn't an OC, but there wasn't a filter for her. Since she only had two lines in the whole series, then was almost never brought up again I figured OC was the closest for a proper filter. I don't own

The Selection Trilogy.

* * *

From the beginning, I knew my caste limited me in so many ways, it was rather depressing. I hated the prospect of being invisible, of blending so far into the background that I dissolve into the walls. I was smart, pretty and social, yet that didn't matter. What mattered was that I was a six, a servant, as such my options were very limited. Until now.

The Selection was near. When my twin sister Celia and I heard of the possibility of being in the selection we were ecstatic. The possibility of something more, sent elation through both of us, and I won't deny that Prince Maxon was cute. A little stiff, maybe, I hoped that was more for the public than him actually being so uptight.

When our letters arrived yesterday I read it over and over again. My holding the letter to tightly caused creases in the edges, but I didn't care. What really stood out to me was compensation. The idea of my family receiving weekly sums of money was an even bigger bonus.

With all the sacrifices being made, mostly by my big brother Aspen, since money was spread very thin at the moment this money would be a godsend. My sister and I had to give up being in the drama club to help out to make ends meet. We both made quite a fuss over that. We only felt guilty afterward though, the look on Aspen's face was as if he felt guilty for not being able to do more.

Aspen does the most work out of all of us after our father died. The loss hit us very hard, Aspen started to push himself so hard for us after that. Celia and I both worry he'll break if he continues as he has. I especially worry when he breaks curfew. I have never confronted him about it, but if he gets caught, I can't even fathom what would happen to him. I think a girl's involved, I hope she's worth the trouble. Though I couldn't imagine anyone being worth the trouble if he were caught.

Just thinking about it reminded me of my youngest brother Jemmy. He still has the rough, jagged scars on his back when he was whipped a few years ago for stealing. We were all starving at the time, with very little to go around. Celia and I stayed with him all night in the room he shared with Aspen. Aspen was absent that night. I could tell that he was on the verge of breaking down. If I wasn't so concerned with looking after Jemmy I would've looked for him. We couldn't afford a doctor, so his wounds didn't heal properly. Even though they have faded over the past couple years they were still very visible.

"You're so lucky that you can speak french so fluently. The only language I put down was English, and I don't even think that counts" Celia said. She brought me out of my musings. We were in the process of filling out our applications. Tomorrow we'd go down to the services office to drop our applications off. I don't understand why so much paperwork is affiliated with a random lottery style pick. Maybe to create profiles of the selected after being picked. It was pretty straight forward, so I did it without complaint.

"Don't worry about that too much. Focus on what you can do rather than what you can't," I said. Advice to live by. She gave me a quick smile, before turning back to our applications.

* * *

Despite the many downfalls of being a six Mom made the most of it. I admired how content she was with the life she had. I sometimes wished I was. Mom mentioned that she overheard from her current employer, the magistrate, that the selection isn't as random as one may guess. Along with our forms, we would be required to have our picture taken. In order to make a better picture, Celia and I were in our finest clothes. They weren't much, but they made us look like we were trying at least. Celia decided to have her hair curled. I helped her take the much, overused curlers out of her dark raven hair. She looked great. I thought about doing curls myself but decided against it. We both wanted to stand out as much as possible from each other, having matching hairstyles defeated the purpose. Mom had taken the day off just so that she could drop be here while we dropped off our forms. I was glad that even though she worked every day that she still took the time off to be there for us.

We were almost to the services office when we spotted Mrs. Singer and her daughter America right in front of us. "Magda," our Mother called out to Mrs. Singer. Celia and I walked up ahead to take our places in line. We all exchanged smiles. Even America was entering. I was a little surprised, this didn't seem like her kind of thing. I bet Mrs. Singer goaded her into it.

"Hello, Lena, Kamber, Celia, how are you?" Mrs. Singer asked as she greeted us.

"Good," we said.

"You guys look beautiful," America said. She then reached out to place one of Celia's Curls behind her shoulder. Even though it was planned for us to look our best I enjoyed the compliment. That alone made the effort worth it.

"We wanted to look pretty for our picture," I said as an explanation for us dressing up.

"Picture?" America asked.

"Yes." Mom spoke in a hushed voice."I was cleaning at one of the magistrates' houses yesterday. This lottery isn't much of a lottery at all. That's why they're taking pictures and getting lots of information. Why would it matter how many languages you spoke if it were random?"

The knowledge that it wasn't random through me off a little when she told us last night. It made sense though. The possible future of Illea resting in the hands of a random selection seemed to good to be true. It also dampened Celia's and my chance of being picked.

I scanned the line around us. It was immediately obvious who was in the know and who wasn't. Some sevens were still in their work clothes. While two's were dressed to the nines. A little too over the top to be taken seriously for a quick snapshot.

"I think you're right," Mrs. Singer said. "That girl looks like she's getting ready for a Christmas party." She laughed, even though it came out as a joke I could tell she hated that America was at a disadvantage.

"I don't know why some girls go so over the top. Look at America. She's so pretty. I'm so glad you didn't go that route," Mrs. Leger said.

"I'm nothing special. Who could pick me next to Kamber or Celia?" America winked at us, I couldn't help but smile. Mrs. Singer smiled too, but it looked forced.

"Don't be silly! Every time Aspen comes home from helping your brother, he always says the Singers inherited more than their fair share of talent and beauty," Mom said.

"Does he really? What a nice boy!" Mrs. Singer cooed.

"Yes. A mother couldn't ask for a better son. He's supportive, and he works so hard."

"He's going to make some girl very happy one day," Mrs. Singer said. She seemed to be more focused on the crowd than the conversation. I didn't like that she was only half paying attention to Mom. Even though we were used to being overlooked, I didn't like it.

Mom took a quick look around like she was going to share a secret with us. "Between you and me, I think he might already have someone in mind."

Ha! So Mom thought there was a girl too. I wondered if she knew Aspen snuck out at night. I don't think she did though. She'd stop him.

"What's she like?" Mrs. Singer asked. She always was a bit of a gossip, but I'm equally guilty of that one.

"I'm not sure! I haven't actually met her. And I'm only guessing that he's seeing someone, but he seems happier lately," Mom was beaming by the time she finished. Her energy was contagious and I couldn't help but beam a little myself.

"He hums," Celia offered. That was true.

"Yeah, he sings, too," I said. Very off key too, I added in my head.

"He sings?" America asked.

"Oh, yeah," we said.

"Then he's definitely seeing someone!" Mrs. Singer chimed in. "I wonder who she is."

"You've got me. But I'm guessing she must be a wonderful girl. These last few months he's been working hard—harder than usual. And he's been putting money away. I think he must be trying to save up to get married." America let out a little gasp, she seemed very excited at the prospect.

"And I couldn't be more pleased," she continued."Even if he's not ready to tell us who she is, I love her already. He's smiling, and he just seems satisfied. It's been hard since we lost Herrick, and Aspen's taken so much on himself. Any girl who makes him this happy is already a daughter to me."

"She'd be a lucky girl! Your Aspen is a wonderful boy," Mrs. Singer replied.

America looked like she was on cloud nine. She was beaming like the sun was in her head. It then struck me. America must be the girl Aspen was in love with.

* * *

Aspen was in love with America. That thought continued to swirl in my head. The thought of having America as a sister in law had me glowing very brightly, not as bright as America, but I was happy none the least.

Despite how long the line was we moved through it quickly, signed at the window to confirm that everything on my form was true and took my picture. Celia was being helped a little ways to my left, she looked a little nervous, I hoped that wouldn't deter her chance too much I sat in the chair, arranged my hair so that my hair framed my face and fanned over my shoulders to give it a bit more volume, and turned to face the photographer. I was still glowing from the news.


	2. Chapter 2

Kamber's Time will be updated with my other new story Alexis' Rise. I don't own The Selection Trilogy

* * *

The living room was small and never fit all of us comfortably, but we managed. Aspen would take the only chair and have our youngest sister Ivy sitting in his lap. Beckner and Jemmy would sit on the floor. Beckner always liked the floor for some reason, and Jemmy tended to idolize him a little so he would join him. That would leave my younger sister Reed, Mom, Celia and I on the rather small couch that just barely fit all of us. Our arms were squished between each other and absolutely no elbow room. At this point, it had become so familiar it was comforting. This happened every Friday night when the Illea Capital Report was on. The report was almost the only source of news in Illea. The exception being magazines which none of us could ever afford.

"So, how'd it go?" Aspen asked. I could tell he had mixed feelings about the selection. I imagined he would have bigger issues if Celia or I were picked.

"Pretty good actually. We ran into Mrs. Singer and America while we were out. We got caught up on all the hot gossip," I said, giving him a discreet wink. To his credit, he didn't blush though he did look away. Maybe he did, I hope he did. It was so cute when he did. Since I didn't see it, if he did I didn't get to tease him about it. Oh well, next time. "A lot of the girls were either over the top or didn't know, and unfortunately it showed. I feel, snapshot wise Celia and I have a bit of an edge," I said.

"I was so nervous, I'm not sure if I remembered to smile," Celia said. I noticed that she was nervous, but I didn't think it could've been that bad. I remembered that she did smile, though I only caught the end of it, since I was focused on my picture.

" Don't worry Celia. I definitely saw you smile. I'm sure you looked great," I said, the gave her a hug, which she returned. She gave me a thankful smile.

The report had just started so we didn't get further than that. The anthem blared throughout the living room. Do to how overused the anthem was it kind of loses its charm after listening to it for as long as I could remember. It got in my head so easily though, at times I caught myself humming along.

The picture of the royal family came into view. Standing at a podium was King Clarkson. His advisers, who had updates on infrastructure and some environmental concerns, were seated to one side, and the camera cut to show them. It looked like there would be several announcements tonight. On the left of the screen, the queen and Prince Maxon sat in their typical cluster of throne-like seats and elegant clothes, looking regal and important. Even through the TV they gave off this energy that screamed power. More from the King than from the queen and prince.

"Well there he is, in all his princely glory," said Aspen. I chuckled a bit at that one. From what I could tell Maxon was always this picture of calm. He was very soft spoken, yet he had a way of making one feel at ease. It contrasted greatly with his Father while he exhibited calm, it always felt very calculated, which I didn't find reassuring. I refocused on the King as he gave his report.

"Just this morning, another attack in New Asia rocked our bases. It has left our troops slightly outnumbered, but we are confident that with the fresh draft next month will come lifted morale, not to mention a swelling of fresh forces." At the mention of the draft, I noticed Aspen stiffen a little. I'm pretty sure I did too. If Aspen was drafted as a guard he would have to leave us for five years. He would be trained in Whites then shipped off to another province to enforce the law, or the palace, or the one I dreaded the most, New Asia, where he may never come back. The only upside is if he survived his five years of service, he would be compensated for the rest of his life. Plus the automatic promotion to caste two. When you're a six, that would be very tempting, but it wouldn't be worth it if he died.

I left these musings behind and, focused my attention back on the report. The King had left the podium and the master of ceremonies had stepped up.

"On behalf of the royal family, I would like to thank you for your enthusiasm and patriotism. With any luck, by the New Year we will be celebrating the engagement of our beloved Prince Maxon to an enchanting, talented, and intelligent Daughter of Illéa!" The few advisers sitting there applauded. Maxon smiled but looked uncomfortable. When the applause died down, the Master of Events started up again.

"Of course, we will be having lots of programming dedicated to meeting the young women of the Selection, not to mention specials on their lives at the palace. We could not think of anyone more qualified to guide us through this exciting time than our very own Mr. Gavril Fadaye!" No surprises there. Gavril has guided us through all the royal family's events my whole life. I heard that he has been doing this for over twenty years. By the looks of him he still has another twenty or so years left in him. Beside me Celia blushed, she admired him. On the screen I saw him take the stage, he was wearing a crisp blue suit, his pin caught the light, shining brightly.

"Goooood evening, Illéa!" he sang."I have to say that I am so honored to be a part of the Selection. Lucky me, I get to meet thirty-five beautiful women! What idiot wouldn't want my job?" He winked at us through the camera."But beforeI get to meet these lovely ladies, one of which will be our new princess, I have the pleasure of speaking with the man of the hour, our Prince Maxon."

With that Maxon walked across the carpeted stage to a pair of chairs set up for him and Gavril. He straightened his tie and adjusted his suit as if he needed to look more polished. He shook Gavril's hand and sat across from him, picking up a microphone. The chair was high enough that Maxon propped his feet on a bar in the middle of the legs. He looked much more casual that way, as opposed to sitting rigidly on his throne.

"Nice to see you again, Your Highness."

"Thank you, Gavril. The pleasure is all mine." Maxon's voice was as calm as ever. He spoke very formally, which was a bit of a turn-off. I wanted a bit more spunk in my husband. Though I only see so much of him, for all I know he could be witty.

"In less than a month, thirty-five women will be moving into your house. How do you feel about that?" Maxon laughed.

"Honestly, it is a bit nerve-racking. I'm imagining there will be much more noise with so many guests. I'm looking forward to it all the same."

"Have you asked dear old dad for any advice on how he managed to get a hold of such a beautiful wife when it was his turn?"

Both Maxon and Gavril looked over to the king and queen, and the camera panned over to show them looking at each other, smiling and holding hands. They were the picture of contentment.

"I haven't actually. As you know, the situation in New Asia has been escalating, and I've been working with him more on the military side of things. Not much time to discuss girls in there."

"We don't have much time left, so I'd like to have one more question. What do you imagine your perfect girl would be like?" Maxon looked taken aback. It was hard to tell, but he may have been blushing. That'd be fun to exploit.

"Honestly, I don't know. I think that's the beauty of the Selection. No two women who enter will be exactly the same—not in looks or preferences or disposition. And through the process of meeting them and talking to them, I'm hoping to discover what I want, to find it along the way." Maxon smiled.

"Thank you, Your Highness. That was very well said. And I think I speak for all of Illéa when I wish you the best of luck." Gavril held out his hand for another shake. "Thank you, sir," Maxon said. The camera didn't cutaway quick enough, and you could see him looking over to his parents, wondering if he'd said the right thing. The next shot zoomed in on Gavril's face, so there was no way to see what their response was.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for this evening. Thank you for watching the Illéa Capital Report, and we'll see you next week." With that, the music played and credits rolled.

"Well, that's that. I will probably be another couple weeks before the announce who made it into the selection, best not dwell on it," Mom said.

I couldn't help but dwell though. In two weeks, I would find out if either of us made it. I knew that I wanted to be part of the selection, the questions wouldn't stop nagging at the back of my mind though was, Did I want a future with Prince Maxon? Did I want to be a princess? Did I want to be queen? At the moment, I had no answer.

* * *

Less than an hour later I was just about to tuck myself in for the night when I saw someone out my window. I rushed forward to catch a glimpse of who it was.

Even though it was dark out I could tell who it was. Aspen. He had snuck out again. Probably to see America. How long could he keep this up before he was caught, and I didn't mean by a concerned younger sister, but someone who could punish him.

I decided it best to just get to sleep before Celia and Reed came in to go to bed themselves. Thoughts of Aspen and the selection filled my head, as I tried to get comfy for what was already turning into a restless night.


	3. Chapter 3

Picture of Kamber available on my profile. Please review. I don't own The Selection series.

* * *

A week passed. Still, it felt like an eternity. I knew it was just because I was anxious, but it didn't help. To make matters worse, Aspen looked very depressed when he came in last night, from presumably seeing America. If America had broken my brother's heart, there would be hell to pay. After much debate, I decided to confront him about it. I walked to his room and knocked on the door.

"Aspen, Can I come in?" I asked. There was no answer, so I let myself in. There on the bed was Aspen, staring at the ceiling, with a somber look in his eyes. "Are you okay?" He turned his head to stare at me. In a flash, he tried to conceal the somber expression that was on his face just moments ago.

"Yeah, fine," he said. I could see right through that response, even if I hadn't seen the look on his face moments ago.

"Aspen, really what's wrong?" I asked. I wasn't going to let him talk his way out that easily.

"Nothing," he said. I would have to tell him I knew or at least thought I knew if I was going to get anywhere with him.

"Aspen, I know about you and America," I said. He looked shocked. Eyes wide, jaw slightly unhinged, and I swear I saw a bit of perspiration on his brow. Suspicions confirmed. "How long has this been going on?" I asked. He knew he was trapped.

"Close to two years," he said. That was longer than I thought. I thought it was only months. He was better at sneaking out than I gave him credit for.

"Why are you so down? She didn't dump you, did she?" I asked. With the selection announcements coming up, it's possible she wanted to break up with him to prepare herself if she was picked. That didn't sound like America though.

"I broke up with her. I can't condemn her to life as a six. I won't have her live like that. I could tell I hurt her when I told her, It took all I had not to take it back, but this is for the best," he said. Ugh, my pride filled, loving idiot of a brother. That was so him, I should have guessed that's what happened myself.

" Why did you do that? Do you hate our lives that much?" I asked.

"Well, don't you? Isn't that why you entered the selection? So you'd have something better." His words were rather hard, it made me rather mad.

"Would you listen to yourself? Yes, our lives are far from perfect, and yes, Celia and I may complain from time to time, and yes there are times when I feel trapped by how limited we are as six's, but for the most part I'm happy. I have you, and Mom, Celia Beckner, Reed, Jemmy, and Ivy. You, our family make it more than worth it at the end of the day," I said. I didn't mean to go on a bit of a tangent, but by the end of it I felt elated and blessed by all I did have. So what if Celia or I don't get picked, we'll make it through just the same. Aspen looked at me with a thoughtful look on his face. I left him to his thoughts.

* * *

The National anthem once again blared throughout our living room, as we all stared at the screen. It started simply enough, with a report on the war. In less than a month we'll know if Aspen has been drafted for war. I'm not sure how good my speech between him and I went, but he didn't seem as depressed as before, so it might've done some good. Gavril then went on and began conversing with the king.

"Good evening, Your Majesty," he said to the king.

"Gavril, always good to see you."The king was borderline giddy. It was a weird look for him, it was a little unnerving.

"Looking forward to the announcement?"

"Ah, yes. I was in the room yesterday as a few were drawn; all very lovely girls." "So you know who they are already?" Gavril exclaimed.

"Just a few, just a few."

"Did he happen to share any of this information with you, sir?" Gavril turned to Maxon.

"Not at all. I'll see them when everyone else does,"Maxon replied. Maxon looked a little nervous. That's good, he seemed like a real person that way.

"Your Majesty,"Gavril went over to the queen."Any advice for the Selected?"

She seemed so peaceful as a serene smile came to her lips. I don't know much about her selection aside from bits and pieces from my history professor when he talked about past selections, but I couldn't imagine a better queen. Whoever Maxon picked she was going to have some big shoes to fill.

"Enjoy your last night as an average girl. Tomorrow, no matter what, your life will be different forever. And it's old advice, but it's good: Be yourself."

"Wise words, my queen, wise words. And with that, let us reveal the thirty-five young ladies chosen for the Selection. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in congratulating the following Daughters of Illea!"

The screen changed to the national emblem. In the upper right hand corner, there was a small box with Maxon's face, to see his reactions as the pictures went across the monitor. His expression was thoughtful. He already was going to be making impressions of who was chosen. Everyone else was too for that matter.

Gavril had a set of cards in his hands, ready to read out the names of the girls whose worlds, according to the queen, were about to change forever. The Selection started this very second.

"Miss Elayna Stoles of Hansport, Three."A photo of a tiny girl with porcelain skin popped up. She looked very proper. Maxon beamed. I guessed he liked that kind of thing.

"Miss Tuesday Keeper of Waverly, Four." A girl with freckles appeared. She was defiantly older than I was She looked very mature. Maxon whispered something to the king.

"Miss Fiona Castley of Paloma, Three." A brunette with smoldering eyes this time. Maybe close to America's age, but she seemed a little more ...out there. Before I could go into it more the next picture popped up.

"Miss Kamber Leger of Carolina, Six." It took a moment to comprehend just what happened. There on the screen was a picture of me, taken when I'd found out Aspen and America were possibly together, I looked Christmas had come early, and there were presents for everyone under the tree. I looked likeI was the luckiest girl in the world. I also looked a little smug, like I was a fat cat that just ate the canary. It was an odd combination, yet it worked somehow.

Screams of excitement filled the room as Celia brought me into a tight hug. Even Aspen cracked a bit of a smile, which made it even better.

So caught up in the shock and excitement of being chosen I didn't see Prince Mason's reaction.

The phone was off the hook for days.


End file.
